Ready to fight tonight

Raytheon enables U.S. Army readiness with missiles, cyber, rifle sights and training

Readiness. It's a top priority of the nation's military leaders requiring solutions that overmatch the enemy anytime, anywhere, under any condition.

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis listed readiness as his first priority in a budget memo issued in February.

"I have been shocked by what I've seen with our readiness to fight," he told the House Armed Services Committee in a written statement in June.

Raytheon enables U.S. Army readiness with practical upgrades of tested technologies and new innovations, from sensors to weapons to the training that will prepare our troops for the battlefield of the future. Readiness is defined as responding to an Army critical need with a solution delivered within 18 months.

“During the last six months, I’ve met with the Army numerous times and I fully understand the mandate for readiness,” said Kim Ernzen, vice president of Raytheon Land Warfare Systems. “Raytheon is well-positioned to meet the challenge.”

Readiness goes hand-in-hand with Raytheon's approach to creating “overmatch,” or the ability to dominate an adversary, by offering superior products and services, rapidly deploying new technologies and creating the most effective training means and methods. The following represent some of the ways the company is enabling readiness:

Stinger Missile

Earlier this year, Raytheon added proximity fuses to the Stinger air defense missile, enabling it to defeat small, agile threats such as terrorist and adversary drone attacks.

The Stinger weapon system is a lightweight, self-contained air defense system that can be rapidly deployed by ground troops and on military platforms.

The company developed the new technology on an accelerated timeline, so important to achieving readiness.

Cyber

From hardening defense systems against intruders to protecting critical infrastructure and data, Raytheon has a longstanding history of offering the most effective shields against cyber threats. The company is well-positioned to ready the cyber warrior of the future, having trained every U.S. Army soldier at more than 500 sites across the globe over nearly a decade.

The U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Gordon, Georgia, is training soldiers for cyberspace — the newest battlefield. According to Bill Leigher, a former admiral and director of Raytheon’s government cyber programs, conducting a cyber operation should come as easily as using a rifle.

"Bringing cyber to the front lines requires making the capability scalable and usable by soldiers,” Leigher said. “This means integrating current keyboard-based tradecraft into cyber weapons systems that soldiers can be trained to use in the battlespace. This will put cyber weapons in the hands of those who need them most: soldiers on the front lines.”

Javelin Weapon System

Raytheon engineers developed the electronics interface that enables the missile to equip not only ground vehicles, but also marine and aviation craft.

The Stryker/Javelin combination will give the Army’s 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Europe the ability to maneuver and defeat enemy armored threats in a way they haven’t done before.

Rifle Sights

Fire control is traditionally associated with tanks, drones, aircraft and ships, where many components work together to hit a target. Raytheon’s digital fire-control system will allow a shooter to engage faster, with better accuracy.

“Digital capabilities change the game,” said Ricky Freeman of Raytheon Optical Technologies, a former U.S. Marine.

The system, which weighs three pounds and measures three inches by four inches, is the only such system small enough for assault rifles. It mounts onto the standard rail with a clamp, and it can be removed easily for use on other firearms.

Raytheon is developing the system for the Army. It could be available to soldiers as early as 2018.

“If you propose a technology and aren’t ready to present it in a fieldable environment, then you aren’t relevant,” Freeman said.

Joint Training

The U.S. Army is training to fight alongside its military allies, with more than 50 exercises in Europe.

To allow more allies to participate in exercises, Raytheon developed the Mobile Instrumentation System, which uses sensors, cameras and controllers to blend live and virtual training. It allows for multi-echelon training for commanders, staff and thousands of solders across borders.

Joint training means readiness, preparing the U.S. to move forward with its allies.

Whether it be on a physical battlefield or a digital space, the edge that will help determine victory against an opponent would be the readiness that Raytheon technology provides.